New vision of women's development in China

(March 08, 2018)

BEIJING, March 8, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- A news report by China.org.cn on women's development in China:

Today is International Women's Day. What usually comes first to your mind when thinking about the role women play in our daily life? The fact is that more and more women have moved from backstage to the center stage. In her book "Lean In" published in 2013, Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook's chief operating officer, encouraged women to keep leaning in to their careers.

Nowadays, Chinese women have got better career development. Liu Qing (Jean Liu), president of Didi Chuxing, a major Chinese ride-sharing company, was named by Time magazine as one of the 100 Most Influential People of 2017. While commenting on Liu's achievement, Tim Cook, chief executive officer of Apple, acclaimed her as an innovator whose pursuit and hard work have changed the way the Chinese people commute to and from work, travel and interact with each other.

In fact, female entrepreneurs like Liu Qing have come to the fore in large numbers in China. According to a latest survey, 31 percent of senior roles in Chinese enterprises are held by women. This significant ratio is ahead of the rest of the world.

Women have long been active in almost all trades and professions in China. Today, there is nothing new about women serving as white-collar workers, attendants, computer programmers, engineers, rural e-commerce employees as well as bus drivers. In addition, more and more women have participated in the deliberation and administration of state affairs. In the ongoing First Session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC), women account for 24.9 percent of the total number of deputies - setting a new record in the history of the NPC.

Looking back in history, as early as the 1950s, China proposed that, "women can hold up half the sky." There have consistently been proposals submitted during the annual two sessions to safeguard equal rights, such as, the drafting of anti-domestic violence laws, improving the maternity insurance system and increasing the retirement age.

Education is a prerequisite for obtaining quality work, and now, females account for 47 out of every 100 people with higher education in China. Thirty years on from the "Spring Buds Program," 3.57 million disadvantaged girls have gained work skills or started university. At the same time, rapid economic growth has given everyone more opportunities – regardless of gender or age.

Of course, we should applaud the strides made by women, but we must remain vigilant to the long shadow of the patriarchic system which exists, particularly in some rural areas. Women in the workplace still face discrimination, especially in regard to maternity welfare. We look forward to increasing the efforts of the whole of the community to achieve a harmonious, equal and respectful society.

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